SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Five from a different camp with the Niners …
• And it’s different because Kyle Shanahan—who’s now in his 10th season in charge—is taking a step back as he recovers from the effects of his July 14 car accident. On this particular Wednesday, he came out midway through practice, and watched from behind the action with GM John Lynch, with DC Raheem Morris coming over to talk for a while. This isn’t a faux absence. Shanahan’s not disconnected. But offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has the walkie talkie that goes to Brock Purdy’s helmet, and the head coach is watching like a personnel guy might at training camp. For now, the Niners are encouraged with Shanahan’s progress, with the caveat that it hasn't been, and won’t be, linear. There’ll be ups and downs. He’s contributing where he can. His body is healing nicely. The concussion is lingering a bit. The hope is he’s back soon. And as for what the team is missing most at the moment, everyone I asked brought up the absence of his team meetings. Rather than try and replicate them, the Niners have put those on ice for now, breaking into offensive and defensive meetings with the coordinators for the time they’re scheduled. We’ve got more coming on all that tomorrow.
